When We Were Young
by tiffywiffyfluffykitty
Summary: "We'll always be best friends..." That was true when Jack and Elsa were kids, but 15 years later when Elsa finally sees Jack again, she finds that he'd changed... and it was far from what she had expected. As for Jack himself; as he fights to free himself from the chains dragging him down day by day, Elsa's reappearance in his life may either be his salvation... or his downfall.
1. Chapter 1

**I am in love with Jelsa right now. Seriously, they are so perfect together it's like ugh...my feels. And so this was born. I hope it's good so far but even if it wasn't as strong, I have tons of stuff planned for later so please follow me on this Jelsa journey and don't forget to review!**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"Jack, Jack!"

Elsa ran out into the snow-covered backyard, a bright smile on her face and her plump cheeks bright from the cold wind that stung them. "Jack!" she called again.

A boy, no older than 6 with messy silvery white hair and impossibly clear blue eyes, turned at the sound of his name. A smile lit up his face at the sight of her and he waved. "Hi, Elsa!"

She giggled as she crossed the wide backyard, the snow building up around her ankles as she trod through the mounds of white mush. "What you wanna do?" she asked happily.

Jack hid a grin as he palmed a large snowball behind his back. "I dunno. What do you wanna do?" As soon as Elsa was within range, he lobbed it at her with all his might, knocking her back into the ground.

Immediately, she popped to her feet, screaming bloody murder, and the boy began to run from the tiny girl as he howled with laughter.

"Jack!" Elsa bellowed, chasing him and scooping up clumps of snow. She tossed the snow at him, but the bits exploded and blew back into her face, making her pause to sputter and blink hard several times.

He laughed again, eyes glinting with mischief and fun. "Come get me, Elsa," he taunted, procuring another snowball from his jacket pocket and tossing it at her. It smacked her shoulder and she squealed as some of it fell upon her neck.

"Stop it!" she pouted, turning away and crouching in the snow. Her shoulders trembled, as if she was about to burst into tears.

The grin dropped from Jack's face and he approached warily, a slightly horrified look in his eyes. "Elsa? I'm sorry, I didn't mean—" But he yelled as she suddenly turned with a wicked smile and pelted him in the chest with a large snowball. "Why you—" he said angrily and strode forward. Elsa shrieked loudly and ran.

It wasn't before long that the two were scrambling all over the yard, tossing snowballs at each other and screaming with laughter. The fight ended, however, after Jack slipped on an icy spot and Elsa tripped over his prone form and the two collapsed on the ground, panting for breath and smiling broadly.

Idun opened the back door, the warm smell of ginger and spices leaking out into the yard, and called, "Who wants cookies?"

"Me!" they both screamed, scrambling up and racing for the house. Elsa tripped Jack on the way and he tumbled into the snow face first, but not before he took her down with him. They tussled for a bit before jumping up and scampering for the door again.

"You two look like you had fun," Idun said. Her face, so like an older version of Elsa's, was warm and amused.

Jack nodded and was about to go inside, but Elsa suddenly gasped. "We need to build a snowman!" she wailed.

"Snowman!" Anna, a little 2 year old baby, cried happily from where she sat with her father Agdar in the living room.

"But cookies!" Jack whined as Elsa began to drag him outside again. Idun slipped him a freshly baked gingerbread man with a wink and he grinned at her before stuffing it in his mouth.

"Snowman!" Anna screamed again and clambered after them.

"You wanna build a snowman?" Jack asked her nicely.

"Yes!" she shouted and he and Elsa laughed.

"Let me put her coat on first." Idun came back with a tiny yellow coat, pink boots, a knitted cap, mittens, a scarf, and thicker pants.

Jack and Elsa waited patiently for Anna to finish dressing up, debating on what to call their snowman. "It should be called Frosty, 'cause of Frosty the Snowman!"

"No, I want it to be Olaf! And I want him to like warm hugs!"

"Frosty!"

"Olaf!"

"Frosty!"

"Olaf!"

"Olaf!" Anna shouted, running to them.

"Two against one! I win!" Elsa yelled, running out.

"No fair, Anna didn't count!" Jack complained, chasing after her. Idun followed, leading Anna out into the backyard.

The two older children began rolling snow together to form a large ball while Anna patted it with the measly little clumps she'd scooped up from the ground.

After they finally managed to get the balls of snow to somewhat look like a rather lumpy snowman, they went hunting for stones for the buttons and sticks for the arms and hair while Anna went to get a carrot for the nose.

Done, the three of them stared at their creation with exhaustion and pride. "His name is Olaf and he likes warm hugs," Elsa said, smiling.

"Okay." Jack pushed Anna gently towards the snowman. "Go hug him, Anna."

She tottered towards the snowman and threw her arms around it. "I love you, Olaf!" she burbled happily.

"Picture time!" Idun called, holding up a camera. She gestured the children close to Olaf and Elsa and Jack went on either side of him while Anna stood in front. Idun took her time snapping pictures before standing with a broad smile. "Okay! Time for cookies and then your mom will be picking you up after dinner, Jack."

"Aww," her daughters groaned with disappointment.

"But I thought he was gonna stay so we can catch Santa Claus!" Elsa whined, pouting. Jack also looked upset and he edged slightly closer to her so that he hovered behind her shoulder.

"Elsa, he lives next door," Agdar said, laughing from where he stood next to his wife.

She perked up. "Can he stay over?" At this, Anna also brightened.

"Stay! Jack, stay!"

The two girls turned shining eyes onto their parents. Jack himself looked hopefully at them with big blue eyes.

"We'll have to ask Jack's parents first but if they say yes, I guess it's alright," Idun said after exchanging a glance with her husband.

Elsa and Anna squealed and tackled Jack into the snow, nearly knocking over Olaf. "YAY!"

Idun and Agdar burst into laughter upon seeing how embarrassed Jack looked as Elsa wrapped her arms around his neck and exchanged a knowing glance before Idun raised her camera and snapped another photo of the three of them. "Alright, time to go in guys."

Anna went to her feet and tottered to Agdar, who picked her up. Idun followed them as Jack and Elsa stood.

"Hey."

Jack turned. "What?"

"We'll always be best friends, right Jack?" Elsa asked, blue eyes staring into his.

Jack, after a surprised pause, nodded and grinned. "Yup, we'll always be best friends."

Elsa beamed widely at him and he blushed. "What?" he asked gruffly.

She shook her head and took his hand, dragging him after her parents. "Nothing!"

He gave her a strange look before shrugging and followed them into the house. The door closed after him.

_We'll always be best friends…_

* * *

Elsa woke with a start.

It was early morning, much like the dream she had. She let out a breath and stared at the squares of light on the ceiling for a while.

_We'll always be best friends…_

She closed her eyes, feeling the familiar grief and sadness rushing through her. Sitting up, she stared out the window that was right next to her bed.

The backyard was covered in grass, not snow. The sky was patched with clouds instead of being perfectly clear. It was summer, not winter.

That's right. It had been 15 years since that day.

_We'll always be best friends…_

She shakes her head and gets out of bed, facing the rest of her room.

Emptiness, save for a medium-sized suitcase, a small messenger bag and a thick blue sweater on the floor, a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt next to it. That's right… they were—

"Elsa, wake up!" Anna sings, bursting into her room. Her long strawberry blonde hair swings as she twirls happily. "We're moving to Norway today!"

Elsa smiles, catching onto her sister's bubbly joy. "You ready?"

"You bet I am!" Anna chirps. "Come on! I don't wanna miss our flight!"

"Anna, we have 8 hours…"

"So?" she demanded. "I want chocolate waffles!"

"We've already packed the waffle iron."

"Oh. Whatever! Just get dressed and ready! We're spending the next few hours enjoying Burgess for the last time!" She danced out of the room, singing a popular love song.

Elsa listens to her sister's singing for a while before standing and picking up her clothes and heading to the bathroom. She showered and brushed her teeth, dressed and braided her hair, and went back to her room to pack her pajamas and zip up her carry-on bag and suitcase. Taking one last look around at the room that had been hers for 21 years, she sighed and closed the door after for the last time.

Anna already had her bright magenta suitcase and matching carry-on bag by the door. Elsa set her plain blue bags next to them and went to the kitchen where Anna was eating McDonald's.

"Where would you like to go for the last time?" Elsa asked, taking a coffee and a breakfast sandwich from the limp paper bag.

"Everywhere!" Anna exclaimed through a full mouth.

Elsa laughed. "We can't go everywhere, you know."

"We can try," she argued back playfully. She glanced at the clock. "Alright, how about the usual places? We can visit some people for a bit, eat some lunch at the old café…"

"Sounds perfect. Wanna go now?"

"Heck yeah! And then Norway, here we come!"


	2. Chapter 2

**You know, I'm kinda worried that I rushed this, but I wanted to get to some of the action soon. Well, at least they met Tooth and Bunny! And more characters will be introduced later! I'm trying to build it up as I go to keep the story flowing. To tell me if I'm doing a fantabulous job so far, please review! Warm hugs for everybody who reviews!**

**Oh, and I don't really know anything about Norway so I'm sorry if I mess up some things!**

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**Chapter 2**

Anna let out a giant yawn as the two of them stepped out of the Departure gates. "Oh my gosh, I'm tired."

Elsa nudged her as she saw Anna's eyelids begin to droop again. "Hey, stay awake. We still have to get there, you know."

"Huh? Yeah, yeah I know. I just…" She stretched and groaned. "Wish I took that nap."

"Told you, you needed it," Elsa teased. "Come on, let's go look for a taxi."

They dragged their suitcases through the terminal, pushing through the crowds until they emerged in the slightly chilly Norwegian air. Anna shivered slightly, rubbing her arms. "Whew, it's cold!"

"It's going to get a lot colder soon," Elsa said, laughing at her sister's slightly horrified expression. "Don't worry, we still have a while. It's only June."

"Oh." Anna sighed with relief. "Shall we go?"

With a small amount of difficulty, they finally found a cab. The driver, a friendly middle-aged man, offered to take them along a more scenic road after hearing they were moving into the country and the sisters enjoyed a beautiful ride, accompanied by jokes and information about the city that would greatly help them in the years to come. Finally, he drove past Arendelle University located on the outskirts of the city by the edge of a giant, glittering fjord.

"Elsa, this is the school you're going to!" Anna said excitedly, pressing herself against the window.

Elsa peered curiously at the giant building. The entire complex was like a huge castle, with spires and turrets and towers. Through the large iron portcullis, there was a stone courtyard with two fountains that sprayed crystal-clear water into the air. Students were milling around the building, laughing and chattering as they walked in and out of the school.

"Arendelle University was created from Castle Arendelle, the ancestral home of the past rulers of Norway," the cab driver said, stopping briefly so that the girls could continue gazing at the building. "After King Agdar died a thousand years ago, the Crown Prince donated this castle for educational purposes and moved to the Royal Palace in Oslo. Arendelle University has remained the same ever since."

Elsa winced slightly at the mention of her father's name. It seemed like coincidence that her own father was named after a previous monarch of Norway, but who knows, perhaps Agdar was a popular name in Norway. "I think I've seen enough, thank you," she said to the cab driver. He nodded and pulled away from the curb.

As they drove away from the school, Elsa thought she saw someone with white-silver hair, but then the cab turned the corner and she could see no more.

* * *

"Here we are, ladies," the cab driver said, pulling up in front of a large two-story house with the front door at an angle to the street and the side of the house facing outwards. There was a wide lawn with several trees and a long curving driveway lined with white rectangular stones as well as a walkway set with shale that followed the driveway up to the house.

"Wow, Elsa!" Anna squealed. "This is amazing!"

Elsa grinned. "Surprise." She turned to the cab driver and paid him. "Thank you, sir, for the ride."

"Good luck ladies," he said cheerfully. "And if we ever meet again, call me Fredrick."

"Thank you, Fredrick!" Anna said, enthusiastically as she and Elsa climbed out. They retrieved their bags and watched him go before turning to the magnificent house before them, their hearts pounding.

"So… ready?" Anna asked, a nervous smile on her face.

Elsa nodded, swallowing, and started walking up to the house, Anna following after her. They walked underneath a natural canopy of tree branches, rounded a small bush, and emerged at the steps of a small porch. They climbed up the stairs and emerged at the front door. Elsa reached into the mailbox, finding an envelope, and opened it to find two pairs of bronze keys. She handed one to Anna and fit the other to the door. It opened with a firm click and she pushed it open to reveal the entryway and beyond, the interior.

Anna let out a squeal and rushed in. "Elsa, oh my gosh, this is amazing!"

The house was furnished with furniture designed primarily for comfort with a subtle hint of the four seasons in the décor, though it seemed to focus mainly on winter and summer. There was mahogany and ebony furniture, an antique-looking stone fireplace, a dark leather couch and armchair set in front of a wide flatscreen television in the living room, a modern kitchen with polished granite counters and a large kitchen island with a breakfast alcove and a door that leads to the backyard and patio, a small bathroom, and a door that leads to the basement— which was converted into a den— on the first floor.

"Wow!" Anna whispered, starry-eyed as they dropped their bags. Elsa slowly followed as they carefully examined their new home, familiarizing themselves with its contents.

After they emerged from the basement, Elsa gestured at the stairs. "Go on," she said, smiling. Anna eagerly pranced up, boots clumping on the pale wood.

Upstairs, the décor continued in the master bedroom and the accompanying three other bedrooms. There was a larger bathroom, a study with floor-to-ceiling windows, and a trapdoor in the ceiling that leads to a wide empty attic.

The master bedroom was obviously designed for Elsa: besides the cardboard boxes with her name on it, it had a distinctly wintery décor, with white and cyan blue being the primary colors. A door lead to a large white bathroom and next to it was a walk-in closet.

Anna's room was across from Elsa's and had a more summery design. It had brown furniture and had green, blue, and pink accents. It had a slightly smaller walk-in closet, but her room had a glass door with a small balcony attached that looked over part of the front yard and was hidden by trees.

"Elsa, this is beautiful!" Anna gasped after they looked over the entire house.

Elsa smiled and started towards the kitchen. "Like it? I hired a professional interior decorator to furnish it for us. That's what I was doing on that month-long trip in June. Of course, I didn't have time to sightsee…"

Anna threw her arms around her sister, stopping Elsa in her tracks. "This is amazing!" she practically screamed. She let go and began prancing around again.

"We still have to unpack some things, Anna!" Elsa called after her. "If you want, you can start tomorrow, but I think we should start on the kitchen soon."

"Okay!" came the voice from upstairs.

Elsa gave a fond smile and looked around at the boxes piled in the kitchen and living room, before turning and going up the stairs, passing by her bedroom, and into the traditional-looking study with giant bookshelves and a large mahogany desk. The boxes were piled against the wall, lit by the light from the windows behind the desk.

This was a new beginning for her and Anna. It had taken a while, but the two of them had finally gathered the courage to move somewhere else after—

"Elsa, do we have food?" Anna asked, popping her head in. She looked around, grinning. "This is definitely yours, isn't it?"

"It's ours, and no, we don't have food. I don't even know where to get some. We don't have a car." Elsa followed her sister out and down to the kitchen.

"But I'm starving!" Anna said, opening the refrigerator. She closed it with a disappointed sigh and began opening drawers.

"We can go ask our neighbors where the closest supermarket is," Elsa suggested, grimacing slightly at the thought.

Anna nodded, though she looked apprehensive. "What if they don't speak English?" she whispered.

"Of course they do. English is the second most common language in the world."

"I thought it was the first?"

"No, actually. Mandarin is."

"Oh. But…" Anna groaned. "Oh fine, let's go. But if I die of embarrassment, I want to be buried in that blue dress I got last year. The one with the tulips on it."

Elsa rolled her eyes and pushed her towards the door. "Come on." She put her wallet in her pocket and tugged on her sweater to straighten it and brushed strands of hair out of her face.

They stepped out into the late afternoon sun and Elsa locked the door after them as Anna trudged to their neighbors.

The house next door was slightly larger and had an air of being well-lived in, though it didn't look decrepit. The smell of mint pervaded the air and there was a beautiful wind chime with gold metal cylinders and a purple, green, and blue hummingbird hanging from the eaves of the front porch.

Elsa and Anna exchanged glances before Elsa stepped up and tentatively rang the doorbell.

There was silence, then a muffled voice shouted, "Just a moment!" The door opened and a girl about Elsa's age appeared. She had dyed blue-green hair with a single yellow streak down the middle and friendly violet eyes. "Hey, how can I help you?" she said warmly.

"U-Um, my name's Elsa Winters and this is Anna, my younger sister," Elsa said, feeling a little awkward. "We've just moved in and—"

"Oh my goodness, you have beautiful teeth!" the girl squealed, darting forward to grasp Elsa's cheeks. "Oops, sorry, it's a habit. Did you guys say you just moved in? Oh and your accent, you're American?"

Elsa could only gape at her with astonishment. She sensed Anna was in the same predicament.

The girl trilled out a laugh. "I'm so sorry, I should've introduced myself first. My name's Toothiana, but you can call me Tooth. Now how can I help you?"

"Uh, since we're new, we were wondering if you could tell us where the nearest supermarket is."

"Oh, I can do better than that. I can take you there!" Elsa and Anna began to protest, but Tooth wouldn't hear any of it. "Nope, you're my new neighbors! I can't have the two of you getting lost!" She ushered them in and closed the door. "Just let me get my stuff."

Tooth's house was warm and cozy, with a distinct Southeast Asian style in the décor, and was disorganized, but not messy. Shoes littered the floor around the entryway and there were several books and decorative boxes stacked on the coffee table. On the couch by the television, a lanky boy with ruffled gray hair and angular tattoos on his arms was sleeping, a purple throw blanket over his stomach. As Tooth clattered around the house, he groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. "Tooth, what's going on?" he asked blearily, opening one brilliant green eye. "Who're they?"

"I'm Anna Winters and this is my older sister, Elsa," Anna said. "We're Tooth's new neighbors."

"E. Aster Bunnymund, pleased to meet you." The boy introduced himself in a distinctly Australian accent and yawned widely.

"Bunny, I'm going to take them to the supermarket and show them around for a bit," Tooth said brightly. "Watch the house for me, would you? And take care of Baby Tooth."

"Wha— Hey wait!" But the girls were already gone.

"I'm sorry you had to see him like that," Tooth said to the girls, leading them to a flashy lime green car. "But he's been so tired lately that I had to let him sleep."

"Is he your boyfriend?" Anna asked, grinning.

"Anna!" Elsa hissed, elbowing her.

"Bunny? No!" Tooth said, laughing. "He's been a close friend of mine for years now. We actually go to the same school with two other friends of ours. It's called Arendelle University, have you heard of it?"

"Elsa's going there too!" Anna said. "Hey, maybe you can show her around!"

"Anna, quiet! Tooth, I really don't—"

"Oh, that's a great idea! Arendelle University's pretty big and it's easy to get lost in. But Elsa, take my advice. If you're going to Arendelle, you should get a car as soon as possible. The school provides shuttle buses, but you'll have to go all the way to specific points in the city for them to pick you up and normal buses don't go way of Arendelle. Most of the school's students have cars." So saying, Tooth climbed into her car and waited for the sisters to do so as well before starting the engine and pulling out of the driveway.

"We actually used up most of our parent's fortune to move here," Elsa said, a tad embarrassedly. "I don't think we have enough for a new car. I still have to find a part-time job and I have to enroll Anna in high school."

Tooth hummed. "Sounds like you're in charge of Anna. I thought your parents were supposed to be?"

Elsa and Anna exchanged glances and didn't say anything. Tooth glanced at them through her rearview mirror and decided to ignore it tactfully and began talking about popular shops, restaurants, and other places where she thought the girls might enjoy spending time.

A few minutes later, Tooth pulled up at the local supermarket and helped them pick up groceries and familiarize themselves with Norwegian money, which the sisters were still rusty at. As time went past, they found themselves warming up to Tooth and found that it was easy to talk to her, finding her cheerfulness contagious.

"Thanks so much for helping us," Elsa said gratefully as Tooth helped them bring the many plastic bags up to the house.

"It's nothing, really," the girl laughed, multicolored hair glinting in the dying sunlight. "I'm always happy to help."

"We would offer you dinner, but unfortunately, we haven't even started unpacking the kitchen supplies yet," Elsa said, smiling.

"No worries. If you need help tomorrow, Bunny and I will be glad to come over."

"Oh, I really—"

"Sure! We'd love to have you guys come over!" Anna chirruped, grinning.

"Anna!" Elsa groaned. "I'm so sorry, Tooth—"

"No worries! Bunny and I will be over at 11 tomorrow. Just have some breakfast ready, would you? Bunny usually needs some encouragement to get him going." Tooth winked cheerily at her and put the last of the bags down in front of the door. "I have to go now. See you tomorrow, guys!"

The sisters waved and watched as Tooth hopped in her car again and backed it down the driveway.

"Well, looks like we made a new friend," Anna said, watching Tooth park next door.

Elsa smiled a little wearily, tired from the day's events. "Yup, looks like we did."


End file.
